Why We Homeschool

Here are the 5 main reasons why we have decided to homeschool our kids.

God.  He plays a big part of why we decided to homeschool and why we file privately. I felt like God called me to homeschool. When Trinity was in 1st grade public school the thought of homeschooling kept popping up. I believe it was God telling me what he wanted me to do. At first I strongly resisted the idea. Every time it would pop into my head I'd push it away. Me? Homeschool? No way I could do that! Its too much work and what if I screw up? But like clock-work the thought kept coming back and finally I listened.  So in second grade I brought her home. I also took my younger daughter Novalee out of private kindergarten. The first few years we used charter schools. I just wasn't secure in myself to do it on my own yet. After a few years though, I had to leave. I started using Christian curriculum and they were supportive but when it came to reporting and our samples that was a different story. When I brought in my records and work samples, they would have me or they would white out anything related to God. At first I was okay with it but slowly I realized that was very wrong! Why am I letting them white out my God? So we left and now we file privately.

Public/Private Schools did not meet my children's individual needs. My oldest daughter would get bored at school with all the busy work.  She also wasn't being challenged because she couldn't move as fast as she needed. She is advanced in certain areas but not all so we couldn't just let her skip a grade. They would try to send home a stack of busy work that was about 1 1/2 inches thick that she didn't finish in class. I never made her do it and then they would start complaining to me. Novalee was also having a hard time in private kindergarten. They were not letting her go to the bathroom when she needed. She ended up having a few accidents. There was also a teacher change mid-year that I was not comfortable with. The teacher was a big reason why we went to that school.

I get to be the main influence in my children's lives. Most kids main influence if they are public schooled are friends or teachers. Most of which may not go to church or believe in God.  Friends have a lot influence on kids. Today's society has made kids grow up too fast. Kids are having boyfriends at very young ages. The idea of my daughters having boyfriends in 5th or 6th grade scared me and gave me another push towards homeschooling. I want my children to be children for as long as they can.

My daughters will not learn to "fit into society". Gods calls us to be a light in the world. Society teaches us we need to be like everyone else. Public media tells us we need to be a certain way to have friends and be "popular". I don't want my girls to be like everyone else. I want them to be the person God made them to be. I want them to get their value from the way God looks at them. I want them to stand out and to be a light in the world that points back to God. I want them to be brave enough to stand up for their beliefs. I don't want them to be just another face in crowd, I want them to carve their own paths with God besides them.

To be more involved in my children's lives and education. I get to be there to see and share in everything. I get to see the light bulbs go off in their heads when they figure out a math problem. I get to encourage them when they have a new interest. I get to help them keep the joy of learning. I get to help them learn new life skills they wouldn't learn in public school. I get time with them that I wouldn't get if they were gone all day. I get to learn with my children and have amazing conversations. I get to hear and answer their questions. I get to help them learn manners. I can foster their creativity and teach them real world problem solving.

Of course there are many more reasons why we homeschool but theses are the top 5. Homeschooling has changed our family. We are no longer just living in the same house but living life together!